News
Nigeria: A Nation that Exists Only on Paper?
By Joel Popoola
I am almost as old as Nigeria itself, and in all my time on Earth, I have never known our nation to face so many challenges.
Corruption. COVID-19. Kidnapping. Economic collapse. Climate Change. Civil insurrection from secessionists. Civil unrest in rural towns.
Last month alone, almost 600 civilians were killed across our nation – with at least 400 abducted by armed groups.
As I write this, senior lawmakers are urging President Buhari to declare a state of emergency, with one senator stating “our nation is on fire”.
This is why Yemi Osinbajo’s plea for unity this week is so important.
The Vice President has said: “If the political elite does not speak up, if we don’t see anything wrong in what is going on, if we allow it to continue to slide, we will endanger ourselves and endanger the future of our country.
“I know that every conflict is a result of elite failure, the elite failure to speak up and tell the truth to their communities, that’s the cause of every one of these civil conflicts. So, I would urge that we speak up. I would urge that we stand for something. Sometimes it’s dangerous to stand for something. But the greater danger of course, is to keep quiet.”
But who is this political elite speaking up to? How are they speaking to them? And how do we ensure that those who are not part of this elite have the opportunity to talk back? How are ordinary Nigerians supposed to get involved in this conversation?
The answer is digital.
Yemi Osinbajo is one of the leaders who best understands how Nigeria’s future must be driven by digital.
Just this week the Vice President announced a new partnership with global tech giant Microsoft which will digitally upskill 5 million Nigerians – designed to boost their employability and entrepreneurship – and improve internet connectivity and cloud access across our nation.
The Vice President has also this week spoken of the importance of the start-up ecosystem as a “catalyst for future economic activities that will bridge the divide between rich and developing countries” and Nigeria’s wider economic development.
At a time when it feels like the only expanding economic sector in Nigeria is industrial scale kidnapping, the promise of a digital and digitised economy becomes more and more critical to our national future – not least as economic inequality is one of the principle driving forces behind so many of our security issues.
But this goes deeper than economic development. Our democracy must digitise too.
As the digital democracy campaign I lead, we are working to build digital bridges between voters and elected politicians – developing personal relationships between local leaders and the communities they serve in the name of collaboration, co-operation and unity.
We have developed a free smartphone app called Rate Your Leader which connects verified political figures with verified voters in the divisions they serve.
The app gives local people the access only previous allowed by lobbyists and party donors, which giving politicians a real-time insight into what matters most to the people who elect them – allowing them to take action, make changes and win the respect, trust and affection of the people their serve.
Once these relationships are established it becomes a lot easier for Nigerians to come together in the national interest. These relationships don’t exist in isolation and aren’t limited to the digital space, the more of us who join hands across political philosophies, ethnicities and even geographies and agree that as Nigerians we will always have more in common than what separates us, the quicker we can move forward as a nation.
As one observer has written, the people of Nigerian too often “lack a shared sense of what it means to be “Nigerian” leaving our country “a state that only exists on paper, sustained by the recognition of the international community”.
But as many of our artists and creatives – not to mention our social movements – can tell you, communities can be created almost instantaneously online.
Digital democracy, using platforms like Rate Your Leader, makes this possible.
Nigerians are more likely to own a smartphone than voter’s card. Politicians must recognise that and utilise the power and potential of the online communication to build the connections that are so badly needed to hold our nation together. If not now, then when?
Joel Popoola is a Nigerian tech entrepreneur, digital democracy campaigner, political commentator and creator of the Rate Your Leader smartphone app. He can be reached via @JOPopoola
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has launched a manhunt following the theft of a black Toyota Hilux vehicle belonging to the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Nuhu Ribadu, which was stolen during Friday’s Juma’at prayers in Abuja.
Reports said that the vehicle was parked around 1:05pm opposite the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) complex in Area 10, while the official attended prayers at a nearby mosque.
Security source, Zagazola Makama, disclosed the incident via his X (formerly Twitter) handle, revealing that the ONSA official returned from the mosque only to find the vehicle missing.
According to him, a sources said the theft was immediately reported to the Garki Police Division at approximately 2:00pm, leading to a swift response by law enforcement.
Meanwhile, the FCT Police Command promptly activated a stop-and-search operation at various checkpoints and across all entry and exit points in the capital city.
Police authorities confirmed that investigations are ongoing and all efforts are being made to apprehend the culprits and recover the vehicle.
The Command said it had intensified efforts to track down the fleeing suspects and recover the stolen Hilux.
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
Sometimes, we don’t know the potentials and power we carry within us. This is because we have not had the opportunity to thrive in the right atmosphere. But given every equal opportunity, every person is a potential achiever because we don’t have dull brains, only undeveloped brains. You are a genius; I am a genius, but only the one who utilizes his available opportunity, brings out the genius in him.
There is no doubt some environments are conducive for opportunities and business to thrive; however, it is instructive to note that there’s no perfect time and place for a determined mind to thrive. Isn’t it true that no matter how hard the waves and torrents hit the ship, the ship will always find a way to thrive.
Life will not always be perfect; we just have to do our best in any place, and time we find ourselves, with what we have and where we are. Whichever way one looks at it, done is always better than perfect, especially when perfect is not done.
Sometimes, uninformed minds think some people have more opportunities than others. They fail to realize that while some are born great, some achieve greatness, some have greatness thrust upon them, while some others put in the hard work.
On a personal note, in all honesty, my level of smartness is that of an average man, who is intentionally working a little bit harder. Sometimes I must read repeatedly just to get a basic understanding of a piece of work, and when I understand it, some people will think I am smart. When you compare the scene with one with an ingenious mind, you’ll discover the difference is clear.
Let’s take a practical case of my writing skills. Ordinarily, someone will think I’m very intelligent publishing articles every week, however what they won’t understand that it takes determination, persistence and most importantly the grace of God for me to do what I do every week. Some people might have more understanding than me, but they lack the grace of God to be consistent. The moral here is that regardless of what you supposedly think you have or know, one has to be humble about life otherwise life will humble you.
Everyone of us has a genius inside of them waiting to be unleashed. The genius in you won’t pop out unless you challenge it by leaving your comfort zone. Most of the people the world celebrates didn’t just become extraordinary; they had to put in the work which can entail strategic and intentional working, constant reading and researching just to add value to their work, exploring opportunities, failing and trying again, taking risks, etc. Trust me, the list is endless.
It is generally said great men are people who do ordinary things in an extraordinary manner. These sets of great minds can be very detailed in their thought process and approach to life. They do know that any opportunity not properly handled can affect all the work they have built overtime.
Let me share a practical example, imagine building a house on a faulty foundation, it won’t take long for the house to crash. Then contrast it with building a house on a solid foundation where original structures and equipment where used, one can confidently sleep quietly knowing fully well the right things has been done.
Imagine a contractor who is considered a genius used a substandard product for reasons best known to him to build a house or construct a road, and imagine a second-class contractor builds the same house or construct the same road with the right products. If an examination is done on both work and the examiner determines that the genius contractors work is faulty, while the second-class contractors work is good, who do you think will be considered a genius contractor? Of course, the second-class contractor simply because his work lasted overtime.
That’s exactly how extraordinary people succeed. They are very thorough in their work. They do ordinary things in an uncommon manner. They know a single mistake can destroy all their hard work Realizing that little things can mean a lot. They don’t take chances and take nothing for granted.
In the same way, if one is privileged to meet great people or have access to great minds who have distinguished themselves, it will be unwise to beg them for money, rather seek for ways to learn from them by adding value to their life. If one can cultivate and nurture the relationship very well, the tendency for the person to thrive will be high and if the opportunity comes and one utilizes it, the world might think the person is lucky or blessed, some might even attribute it to their location or the role of mentors in the person’s life.
They might contribute to some extent, however, they won’t see the big picture which can be the process, skill and most importantly the ingenious strategic work the person put in place to attract the opportunity.
It should be noted, no serious mentor will recommend somebody for opportunity based on mediocrity. One must be competent in addition to doing the needful to show competency.
If we are honest to ourselves, we all have made one mistake or the other that if properly managed would have given us greater opportunity. I can vividly remember meeting the Miss universe in 2014 in Washington during President Obama’s administration. This lady sits on the board of Warren Buffet and has access to other world leaders. At one point in time, our discussion was centered on how we will travel to Nigeria for a business meeting with the former President of Nigeria (President Olusegun Obasanjo).
We had a couple of meetings with some of her mentees and colleagues in Columbia University. In all honesty and sincerity, I had access to privileged information. Quite unfortunately, I couldn’t manage the relationship very well and it slipped off my hand. Imagine, if I had managed the friendship, who knows where I would have been now, the genius in me would have blossomed. Lessons learned.
The moral here is that we are all geniuses as opposed to what is peddled out there. The only difference is how we package and present ourselves. If you package yourself as a hungry man, the genius in you will not manifest. If you present yourself as an ambitious, disciplined and intentional man, the universe will connect more with you, and when all people see your accomplishments, they will regard you as a genius.
In conclusion, as you step out to live your life, endeavour to figure out the genius in you. Figure out what makes you unique, what makes you stand out and what makes you attractive. When you figure it out, the world will celebrate the genius in you.
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the founder of Gloemi. He’s a Transformative Human Capacity and Mindset coach. He is also a public speaker, youth advocate, creative writer and author of Design Your Destiny Design Your and Unleash Your Destiny . He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
The Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) has warned that 1,249 communities across 176 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in 33 states and the FCT fall within the high flood-risk areas in 2025.
The warning was issued during the official presentation of the 2025 Annual Flood Outlook (AFO) by the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, in Abuja.
According to the forecast, an additional 2,187 communities in 293 LGAs across 31 states and the FCT are expected to experience moderate flood risk this year.
States identified in the high-risk category include: Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, the FCT, Gombe and Imo.
Others are; Jigawa, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, and Zamfara.
Utsev noted that floods are among the most devastating natural disasters affecting lives, property, agriculture, and infrastructure.
He said the 2025 forecast is aimed at raising awareness and encouraging preparedness among citizens, particularly in vulnerable communities.
He said this year’s theme on community preparedness and adaptation is timely, given the recurring floods and their impact on livelihoods and infrastructure.
The minister explained that the 2025 Annual Flood Outlook has been segmented into three parts to enhance flood preparedness.
These include a general flood forecast, a communication strategy for effective warning dissemination, and a mitigation plan to reduce exposure and vulnerability.
“According to the forecast, 657 communities in 52 LGAs are expected to experience high flood risk between April and June.
“544 communities in 142 LGAs between July and September; and 484 communities in 56 LGAs from October to November.
“Moderate flood risk is projected for 445 communities in 116 LGAs from April to June, 1,458 communities in 271 LGAs from July to September, and 1,473 communities in 171 LGAs between October and November,” he added.
He said flash and urban flooding are expected in major cities, including Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Kano, and Makurdi, largely due to poor drainage and weak infrastructure.
According to him, coastal states such as Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Lagos, Ogun, Rivers, and Ondo may also experience flooding caused by rising sea levels and tidal surges, posing a threat to livelihoods and river-based activities.
Utsev announced initiatives such as a National Flood Insurance Programme, to be piloted in Kogi and Jigawa states, and the Niger Flood Project to boost river navigation, flood control, and climate resilience.
He highlighted plans to launch an Integrated Climate Resilience Project and the forthcoming Annual Drought Outlook.
Utsev urged stakeholders to support government efforts in building flood-resilient communities and affirming the Federal Government’s commitment to proactive flood management.
Earlier, the NIHSA Director-General Umar Mohammed emphasised the agency’s commitment to using advanced technologies and fostering inter-agency collaboration to deliver accurate and timely flood forecasts.
Mohammed explained that this year’s forecast adopts a more community-focused approach, extending beyond local government areas to identify specific at-risk communities.
“Our aim is to equip decision-makers with actionable information to protect lives, livelihoods, and property,” he stated.
He added that the outlook identifies flood-prone states, local government areas, and communities, while also assessing impacts on sectors such as healthcare, education, agriculture, transport, and water quality.
According to Mohammed, the goal is to strengthen community resilience and support proactive flood management strategies across the country.
Key highlights of the event included the formal presentation of the NIHSA Flood and Drought Dashboard and the unveiling of the National Flood Insurance Programme.
Goodwill messages were delivered by representatives of the World Meteorological Agency, the National Water Resources Institute Kaduna, and others.
NAN
